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The E-Sylum: Volume 20, Number 17, April 23, 2017, Article 13

NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: APRIL 23, 2017

More on Hubs and Master Dies Before 1836
Bill Eckberg writes:

Regarding the post on hubs, I pretty much agree with Dannreuther.

It's a bit of a chicken and egg question as to whether the Mint began with a hub or a master die in 1793. So few 1793 cent and half cent dies were created that it may not have been worthwhile to create a master die and then try to make hubs from that. The engraver may just have created a hub like a cameo; we can't be sure. The quality of the die steel was poor, and there was a substantial risk of breaking everything the more times you tried to punch something into steel. However, Robert Scot wrote in 1795 that his procedure was to engrave a master die and make hubs from that. So, there is no question that both hubs and master dies were in use WAY before 1836.

1819 Large Cent with overlaid 1820 design tracing With respect to the overlays in the original post, my experience is that overlays of photos that were not taken at the same time with the same lighting can be hard to align, but that isn't evidence the dies were not created from hubs/master dies.

The Mint did experiment with complete hubs including the wreath, lettering and dentilation for the 1794 half cent reverses. They weren’t very successful. The next complete hub for a half cent was made in 1840.

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
U.S. MINT MASTER DIES BEFORE 1836 (www.coinbooks.org/v20/esylum_v20n16a23.html)

Reininger & Co., San Francisco
nabesnaSignature Dave Schenkman writes:

In response to Dick Hanscom’s question, I imagine “R. & Co. S.F.” is Reininger & Co. This company was located at 420 Market Street in San Francisco. Products, according to a 21mm brass advertising token they issued, included Stencils, Checks, Rubber Stamps, Badges, and Box Brands. It is listed by Kappen as #2201.

Thanks! Seems like a perfect match. -Editor

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: APRIL 16, 2017 : Nabesna Alaska Token Help Sought (www.coinbooks.org/v20/esylum_v20n16a16.html)

American Medal of the Year Sales Boosted
Rememberance medal by Susan Taylor obverse Mel Wacks of Woodland Hills, CA writes:

As a result of your including the article about this year's winner of the American Medal of the Year, Susan Taylor sold four medals to your readers. She was delighted!

Glad to help! Putting great medals in the hands of great collectors is all part of our promotion of numismatic knowledge. Thanks for letting us know. -Editor

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
2016 AMERICAN MEDAL OF THE YEAR NAMED (www.coinbooks.org/v20/esylum_v20n15a34.html)

Male Outstanding Young Numismatist Award Winners Sought
Pete Smith writes:

I want to thank those who responded to my request for information last week. I was able to contact Leonora Dickson and we had a good phone conversation. We also were contacted by Paul Johnson who was named Outstanding Young Numismatist in 1972. He provided information on Canadian Young Numismatist Terri Roach.

This week my attention turns to male young numismatists. The general problem is that web searches may turn up references to names but I have not been able to confirm those were the winners of the award. Do you know what happened to any of these winners?

Jeffrey Coopersmith was from Washington D.C and was named Outstanding Young Numismatist in 1973. That year he testified before Congress in support of the"Hobby Protection Act."

Larry Gentile, Jr. [1981] was the son of Larry Gentile Sr. and from New Rochelle, New York.

John M. Greenslet [1983] was the son of Phil Greenslet from Reistertown, MD.

David Massey [1986] was from Chamblee, GA.

Matthew R. Zuckerman [1990] was from San Francisco.

If you know an email address or where they can be found as a adult, contact Wayne who will forward the lead back to me.

Thanks for you help, everyone. Pete's been making great progress with this excellent project. -Editor

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: APRIL 16, 2017 : Female Outstanding Young Numismatist Award Winners Sought (www.coinbooks.org/v20/esylum_v20n16a16.html)

Fantasy Mexican Minas del Eden Token
Ralf W. Böpple of Stuttgart, Germany writes:

1874 Mexico Mina del Eden Zacatecas Token obverse As interesting and fascinating as it may look, I am afraid I have to tell you that the Mexican Minas del Eden token you linked to in the "Numismatic Nuggets" section is one of the many forgeries - or more precisely, fantasy issues - that were and most likely still are produced in Mexico. Normally they are sold, at rather modest prices, as curiosities in local street markets to tourists and other unsuspecting clients.

But eventually some of them end up in the numismatic market, usually on the internet (where it may or may not be possible to convince the seller of his error - mostly not, since potential buyers cannot be warned or informed). The fact that some of these creations even made it into the catalogs that are used as standard references does not help either...

Thank you. I didn't believe it was a necessity piece as described in the auction lot listing, and the token explanation I found was more plausible. It does look dodgy, but many tokens are crude as made. Thanks for calling this out as a fantasy piece. -Editor

Ralf adds:

Similar crudely made real tokens exist, which is why these are so easy to make (and make up).

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
NUMISMATIC NUGGETS: APRIL 16, 2017 : 1874 Mexico Mina del Eden Zacatecas Token (www.coinbooks.org/v20/esylum_v20n16a26.html)

1809 Golden Jubilee of George III Medal
Mark Hotz of Baltimore, MD writes:

With regard to the inquiry from E-Sylum reader Jacob Lipson of Montreal on the George III Golden Jubilee Medal BHM-642 (E-Sylum v20n16 April 16, 2017), I have the same medal, also in silver. I have had it for many years, and I kept it because it had such a nice portrait of George III.

I would be interested in learning any more about it that Jacob Lipson might learn from the Ashmolean Museum.

Photos of my medal are attached.

1809 Golden Jubilee of George III Medal obverse 1809 Golden Jubilee of George III Medal reverse

Thanks! -Editor

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: APRIL 16, 2017 : Notes From Jacob Lipson (www.coinbooks.org/v20/esylum_v20n16a16.html)

A Medallic Portrait of Christopher Columbus

Dick Johnson submitted these notes on portraits of Christopher Columbus. Thanks! -Editor

Columbus on a portrait-medal Gary Beals is exactly right in his statement in last week’s E-Sylum: we do not know what Columbus looked like. In 1975 the editors of the National Geographic magazine searched the world for a contemporary illustration of Columbus. Here’s what they said in print:

"What did Columbus look like? No one knows. No portrait painted during the Admiral’s lifetime appears to have survived, but scores of later artists rendered their Columbuses."

[It illustrated and described four of those numerous posthumous portraits.]

The search did discover what is believed to be a contemporary portrait on a ... [wait for the finish of a drum roll please] ... A MEDAL! It is attributed to the collection of Richard Gaettens of Germany. The caption describes it:

"(The medal) was made shortly before Columbus’s death. Then the discoverer’s voyaging was done, and he was vainly attempting to have his promised emoluments restored. The medal shows a man bent with age, face wrinkled from the rigors of life at sea."

The medal was obviously cast. Striking with a die would have sharpened the image perhaps. But it is better each of us remember Columbus in our own way.

See the National Geographic magazine November 1975 issue (page 618). I found the above image via an internet search using Dick's helpful reference to the Richard Gaettens collection. -Editor

For more information, see:
Columbus Monuments Pages (http://columbus.vanderkrogt.net/)
Columbus on a portrait-medal, attributed to Guido Mazzoni (http://columbus.vanderkrogt.net/texts/portraits/mazzoni.html)
Adriano Fiorentino (www.nga.gov/content/ngaweb/Collection/artist-info.1997.html)

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
NOTES FROM E-SYLUM READERS: APRIL 16, 2017 : Notes From Gary Beals (www.coinbooks.org/v20/esylum_v20n16a16.html)

The Archival of Historic Odours

Relating to our earlier topic of studying the smells of old books and money, I came across this research article published April 7, 2017 in Heritage Science, the first comprehensive scientific treatise of the subject. -Editor

We don’t know much about the smells of the past. Yet, odours play an important role in our daily lives: they affect us emotionally, psychologically and physically, and influence the way we engage with history. Can this lead us to consider certain smells as cultural heritage? And if so, what would be the processes for the identification, protection and conservation of those heritage smells?

Our knowledge of the past is odourless. Yet, smells play an important role in our daily lives: they affect us emotionally, psychologically and physically, and influence the way we engage with history.

Check out their handy-dandy book odour wheel... -Editor

Historic Book odour-wheel

To read the complete article, see:
Smell of heritage: a framework for the identification, analysis and archival of historic odours (https://heritagesciencejournal.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40494-016-0114-1)

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
A WHIFF OF HISTORY FROM BOOKS (www.coinbooks.org/v20/esylum_v20n16a37.html)

The Money Casket
Money coffin Ron Guth of San Diego writes:

My daughter sent this picture she took of a casket in the National Museum of Funeral History in Houston, TX. Who knew such a place existed? I'll have to add it to my bucket list (the "kick the bucket" list).

So maybe you CAN take it with you, after all... -Editor









Kraljevich esylum ad4


Wayne Homren, Editor

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